Around the Ivies

By Grace Miller | 4/24/14 6:15am

Brown University: A Brown University student, speaking to a campus conference Tuesday, alleged she was raped and strangled by a fellow student. At the rally, she criticized the university’s disciplinary action against the accused student, who was suspended for a year and will return to campus this fall, the Brown Daily Herald reported. More than 50 students gathered at the press conference, some holding signs supporting the student and criticizing the university’s handling of the case.

Columbia University: Two students established an organization called RealityStep, last semester to assist low-income and underperforming high school students with the college application process, the Columbia Spectator reported. The organization, hoping to reach nonprofit status, has so far attracted around 50 student members.

Cornell University: The university will launch a study abroad program in Havana, Cuba, beginning this fall, the Cornell Daily Sun reported. The program will let four students conduct scientific research on bioacoustics or proteases and attend classes at the University of Havana or Cuba Study Center.

Harvard University: Harvard hosted its first Sustainability Hackathon on Saturday at the Harvard Innovation Lab, the Crimson reported. More than 20 students from Harvard and the Boston area tried to solve a particular sustainability problem in small groups. The teams presented their proposed solutions to judges, who based their scores on innovation, impact on sustainability, practicality and presentation style.

Princeton University: For the second consecutive year, no Princeton student received a Truman scholarship or advanced to the application process’s final round of the application process, according to The Daily Princetonian. The federal scholarship rewards students devoted to public service.

University of Pennsylvania: A new initiative will formalize a process for students to use a name that reflects their gender identities in university systems, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported. Students who wish to change their preferred name can fill out a form online and meet with an administrator to make the switch. The program is currently not available to faculty, staff or students who wish to use their middle names or Hebrew names.

Yale University: New Haven police announced Wednesday the arrest of Jeffrey Jones, 50, who they believe was responsible for falsely reporting the presence of a gunman on Yale’s campus last fall, the Yale Daily News reported. The crisis led to a seven-hour lockdown. Jones is charged with falsely reporting an incident, second-degree threatening, second-degree reckless endangerment, misuse of the emergency 911 system and a breach of peace.


Grace Miller